Trump threatens EU tariffs after Google antitrust fine sparks fresh trade row
The US president vows a Section 301 investigation and new tariffs, accusing the European Union of unfairly targeting American technology companies after its record penalty against Google.
Donald Trump reacts after the EU imposed a landmark antitrust fine on Google.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump threatened to impose new EU tariffs and launch a formal trade investigation after the European Union fined Google €890 million ($1 billion) for violating the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), escalating tensions between Washington and Brussels.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump accused the European Union of unfairly targeting American businesses and warned the bloc would face serious economic consequences.
“The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct,” Trump wrote, adding that he would “immediately initiate a Section 301 investigation” into what he described as Europe’s practice of “robbing” US companies.
He also signalled that his administration would move quickly to introduce substantial tariffs, declaring that the United States “is not a piggy bank for Europe.”
Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 allows Washington to investigate foreign trade practices it considers unfair or discriminatory and respond with retaliatory tariffs.
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Trump’s warning came just one day after the White House announced new tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, including the European Union. The measures took effect on Friday following investigations conducted under the same legal authority.
The administration has been rebuilding its tariff strategy after the US Supreme Court struck down several Trump-era trade duties in February, limiting the president’s authority to impose tariffs without additional legal justification.
On Thursday, the European Commission imposed its first penalty on Google under the Digital Markets Act, fining the technology giant a total of €890 million.
The Commission issued a €460 million fine for giving Google’s own shopping, hotel, transport and sports services preferential treatment in search results. It also imposed a €430 million penalty for preventing app developers from directing users to cheaper offers outside the Google Play Store.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer criticised the ruling, saying the Commission’s decision weakened constructive dialogue between Washington and Brussels and created a real risk to transatlantic trade relations.
Under the Digital Markets Act, companies designated as digital gatekeepers can face fines of up to 10% of their global annual turnover for violations and up to 20% for repeat offences.
An EU official noted that Thursday’s penalties represented only 0.22% of Google’s annual global revenue.
European Commissioner for Technology Henna Virkkunen defended the decision, saying the European Union remains fully committed to enforcing its digital competition laws. EU officials have repeatedly rejected claims that the legislation specifically targets American technology companies.
The latest dispute threatens to undermine the trade framework agreed between Washington and Brussels last year, which reduced US tariffs on European automobiles in exchange for concessions from the European Union.
Although both sides reached the agreement to avoid a broader trade conflict, Trump’s latest threat has raised fresh uncertainty over future US-EU economic relations.
